


a weight heavier than you can bear

by unlockthelore



Category: Dragon Quest Series, Dragon Quest: ダイの大冒険 | Adventure of Dai (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Family Feels, Gen, Introspection, Pre-Canon, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-28
Updated: 2020-12-28
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:13:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,713
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28247463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unlockthelore/pseuds/unlockthelore
Summary: Admitting a fault after a fight is the hardest thing to do, especially when you believe you're right. Brass wanted the best for Dai but sometimes good intentions fall flat.
Relationships: Brass & Dai (Dragon Quest: ダイの大冒険 | Adventure of Dai), Brass & Gome (Adventure of Dai)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	a weight heavier than you can bear

**a weight heavier than you can bear**

Brass sighed as he tossed a few logs of firewood in the hearth. They snapped and crackled, consumed in roaring copper-orange flames filling the stone furnace with a gentle glow. As he shuffled backwards, he fumbled around for the arm of his rocking chair whilst tapping his staff tentatively to keep footing on the uneven wooden floors. While he wasn’t sure if his kind possessed _bones_ of any sort, his body ached with age and breaking something would be more of a hassle than its worth. 

Rock and grain ground together while maneuvering weary limbs. Then with an ungraceful _snap_ , Brass dropped down on his rocker and winced as the wood creaked in protest with each sway. Only once he’d begun to rock with his staff laid across his lap did he release the breath he’d been holding. 

Warmth radiated from the fireplace with the scent of woodsmoke thickening the air as it tunneled out of the chimney. Cozy as home was, he couldn’t begin to put his mind to rest with all that’d transpired. Truthfully concern was beginning to steal away any hopes of a restful evening. 

Embers crackled against the wood, chipping away with sputtering hisses as cinders drifted to the bottom of the hearth. The only noise aside from his rocker’s creaking was a nest of dracky roosting in the cedar trees nearby. He waited patiently for thunderous footsteps and an obnoxiously loud cry, but the evening remained tranquil.

Far too quiet in comparison to how busy the last few years had been.

Resigned, Brass slumped against the chair’s backing and stared out the window as afternoon sunlight slipped through the glass, casting slanted horizontal shadows across dirt floors. Brass eyed the rumpled bedsheets tucked off in the corner where a messy bedroll was left undone. Scraps of fabric from pants to a shirt stuck haphazardly out of a dusty old pot, its discarded lid tossed upside down beneath the window sill. Light detailed knicks and cuts in aged wood, some running deeper than others. Handle skewed crookedly despite all his best attempts to keep it secure.

His lips twitched up at the corners as he noticed the shredded vines looped around one of the handle’s crooked ends. Its fibers were snapped in half likely by someone tugging on them. _Someone_ , his mind said but he knew well enough who it was. If he closed his eyes, he could recall scuffled attempts and muffled childish curses at his back. Pretending to sleep while his grandson was causing mischief led to an innumerable amount of hilarity. 

He’d peeked just a little when Gomechan’s encouraging cheeps quieted. Stunned to silence as sunlight haloed Dai and every hair atop his scruffy little head as he held up the pot lid triumphantly. A crudely-made vine strap tied around the pot lid’s handle slid loosely over his arm but the allusion was enough. Shield on one arm, and a wooden sword in his other hand.

If he weren’t so small, so scraggly-looking, so _young_ , his **_grandson_** _—_

Brass could have imagined he was witnessing the coming of the next Hero.

And, the idea terrified him. 

Dai’s wide-eyed wonder melted away with his silhouette and Brass opened his eyes to an empty spot. Tarnished pot lid haphazardly tossed aside by a child who wanted nothing more than to act on stories of heroism. He shimmied out of his chair and plodded over, bending down to pick up the lid. If he had known telling Dai those stories all those years ago would lead to this, then perhaps he would’ve kept it to himself.

No, there was no way he could. 

Brass couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen someone like Dai but he wasn’t some doddering old fool. Greatness came in unexpected ways and one day, the world might call on his grandson to save it from destruction. His thumb swiped along a scorch mark darkening the outside of the shield right below where the strap severed. How could he have fired a Frizz at Dai?

The boy went on and on about how superb martial and sword skills were in comparison to magic. Derisive shouts of how he wanted nothing to do with being a Mage. Brass sighed. His temper had gotten the best of him but how couldn’t it have? 

“Dai, how do I get you to understand…?”

A dull thump against the door startled him out of his thoughts. Hobbling over, he laid a hand atop the doorknob and shouted, “Dai!?”

When no response came, Brass’ hand slipped from the doorknob as if he’d been burned. Tentatively glancing between the lid and the door when no sound came. “Is that you, Dai?” He asked, not that disappointed when no reply comes. Resigned, he held the shield between both hands and stared down at that jagged mark. “You’re still angry, mm?”

Silence answers him. Brass tapped the pot lid against the door and muttered, “If you are, I don’t blame you. I’m your grandfather… raising my hand to you even if I’m trying to teach…”

His chest is hot as coals. Shame rested upon his head heavier than any boulder could and he wishes for him to speak. Even if it was an admonishment or a shout that he never wanted to see him again. To hear Dai’s voice would have be a blessed reprieve from this stifling silence. 

Impatiently, Brass wrenched the door open where it sunk into the mud with its slanted henge and called out, “Dai, I’m..”

His breath caught when he noticed not a single strand of dark hair in front of him. Let alone a _being_ \- human or monster. Leaning out of the doorway, Brass looked one way then the other, unable to see anything in the tangled, blue-green brushwood and dense thicket. A soft tinkling noise caught his attention and he craned his neck back with hapless hopes. It wasn’t as if his grandson sprouted wings in the course of one afternoon but the many inhabitants on the island were prone to helping him in his mischief.

Including the slime peeking at him from the opening in the hut’s roof. Two curious golden eyes narrowed their gaze until Brass could only make out the shiny yellow of their pupils apprehensively following his movements. Brass turned the lid over in his hands and stroked the burn mark once more. There must be enough remorse in his expression because the soft tinkling sound returns, growing nearer as Gome descended from his perch to rest mere inches from the lid. The slime’s wings flap with exaggerated slowness. By the sheer determination in his eyes, he’d sooner pluck the lid from Brass’ hands before leaving him to his lonesome than tell him where Dai is.

Bitterly, Brass couldn’t be happier Dai had a friend who cared for him so much. But his eyes drift to the woodlands. With the sun’s descent comes a greater volume of shadows around tree trunks, light unable to penetrate thick leafy canopies leaving the forest floor much of a tangled mess of darkness. The darkness is home to him in a way he cares not to think of but Dai couldn’t see as well in the dark. He could be anywhere now.

Brass glanced up at Gome and the pointed accusation in those big, round eyes. “I guess you got separated from Dai, hm?” Brass asked when he couldn’t stand the silence any longer, and spotted a little rustle in a bush behind a tree they cut firewood from. Spiky dark locks peeked out with several leaves tangled in and Brass breathed a sigh. Relief colored his expression warmly much to Gome’s confusion as the slime regarded Brass in wide-mouthed awe as he spoke, “Well, when you see him, tell him to come by sundown. I’ll have dinner ready.”

The pot lid flipped between his hands a few times as Brass made a decision, holding it out to Gome. He imagined Dai holding it on his arm with his wooden sword raised to the sky, and feels his heart sink. But that dopey, wide grin is more than enough reason.

“Tell him I’m sorry,” Brass said.

Silence carried between them, Gome taking the lid with a little bob. Whether it was out of respect or the weight Brass wasn’t sure but watching the slime carry the lid away to the trees, he felt the weight in his stomach lift. He shuffled backward, and watched as Gome disappeared past the tree line. But the little spike of black didn’t move until after Brass shuffled back then closed the door behind him. Peeking out the window in time to catch the sight of a small boy peeking over the bushes then darting back into the trees.

Making dinner is a decent distraction. As a monster, he didn’t necessarily need to eat but staying aware of what was good and not for a growing boy left him having to try things out of his comfort zone. His latest attempt at a fish-based recipe takes all of his attention as he watches flaked skin chip and fall. Its flames burn low now so the skewers propped up near the hearth don’t catch fire. Every once in awhile, he turned them then peered over his shoulders at the fading sunrays. 

Just when the windows grow dark, he hears a little knock on the door and glances over his shoulder to see it pushed ajar. Tiny fingers curl around the door henge. Scrambling, Brass turned to face forward and peered into the flames. Trying not to steal a glance at the child slowly creeping his way inside. 

A small, nervous voice stammered, “I-I’m back… Grandpa.”

Brass smiled forlornly at the skittish tone, patting the spot on the floor next to him. It’s a slow process for Dai to pull off his shoes and close the door before he shuffles to his side. But once he’s there, Brass found he didn’t care as much. The wait was worth it when he tucked his arm around Dai and the boy nestled close to his side. 

Maybe they would argue again and Dai would want to insist on being a Hero, but for now, nothing else in the world mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey there! Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I've started watching Dragon Quest: Adventures of Dai after seeing it float around as a fan of Dragon Quest, seemed the best recourse of action. This work came after the first episode and was written prematurely before I discovered how Dai and Brass' house really looks. Either way, I'm plenty proud of it! 
> 
> I love their relationship too and I would've liked to see more about the magic and world-building, but that's something fanfiction can also satisfy! 
> 
> As always, check me out on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pillowfort and Tapas at **unlockthelore**! 
> 
> See ya later.


End file.
